I Was Made To Love Her – English Lyrics

• By: Stevie Wonder
• Album: 20th Century Masters Millenium Collection

Lyrics & Translation

Learn English through the soulful sounds of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her." This song offers a chance to explore descriptive storytelling and heartfelt expressions of love. Its classic Motown style and Wonder's passionate delivery make it a special and joyful way to engage with the English language.

[English]

I was born in Lil' Rock

Had a childhood sweetheart

We were always hand in hand

I wore hightop shoes and shirt tails

Suzy was in pig tails

I know I loved her even then

You know my papa disapproved it

My mama boohooed it

But I told them time and time again

"Don't you know I was made to love her

Built my world all around her"

Yah! Hey, hey, hey

She's been my inspiration

Showed appreciation

For the love I gave her through the years

Like a sweet magnolia tree

My love blossmed tenderly

My life grew sweeter through the years

I know that my baby loves me

My baby needs me

That's why we made it through the years

I was made to love her

Worship and adore her

Hey, hey, hey

All through thick and thin

Our love just won't end

'Cause I love my baby, love my baby ah

My baby loves me

My baby needs me

And I know I ain't going nowhere

I was knee high to a chicken

When that love bug bit me

I had the fever with each passing year

Oh, even if the mountain tumbles

If this whole world crumbles

By her side I'll still be standing there

'Cause I was made to love her

I was made to live for her, yeah!

Ah, I was made to love her

Built my world all around her

Hey, hey, hey

Oo baby, I was made to please her

You know Stevie ain't gonna leave her, no

Hey, hey, hey

Oo wee baby

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
made /meɪd/ A1	verb - past tense of make; to create or construct
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features
years /jɪərz/ A1	noun - plural of year; the time it takes the earth to travel around the sun
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child; a term of endearment
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter, including capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
sweet /swiːt/ A2	adjective - having a pleasant taste like that of sugar
needs /niːdz/ A2	verb - to require (something) because it is essential or very important
standing /ˈstændɪŋ/ A2	verb - be in or maintain an upright position on one's feet.
thin /θɪn/ A2	adjective - having little flesh or fat on the body
fever /ˈfiːvər/ B1	noun - an abnormally high body temperature, usually accompanied by shivering, headache, and in severe instances, delirium
adore /əˈdɔːr/ B2	verb - love and respect (someone) deeply
inspiration /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃn/ B2	noun - the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative

Key Grammar Structures

• I was born in Lil' Rock

  ➔ Past Simple Passive

  ➔ The sentence uses the passive voice in the past simple tense. The structure is "was/were + past participle". In this case, "was born" means someone else caused the speaker to be born, though the agent is not specified.

• You know my papa disapproved it

  ➔ Past Simple (regular verb)

  ➔ The sentence uses the past simple tense with a regular verb. "Disapprove" becomes "disapproved" by adding "-ed". It indicates a completed action in the past.

• Don't you know I was made to love her

  ➔ Past Simple Passive with 'to' infinitive

  ➔ Here, "was made to love" combines the passive voice in the past simple ("was made") with a "to" infinitive ("to love"). It implies a sense of destiny or purpose – that the speaker was destined or created for the specific purpose of loving her.

• She's been my inspiration

  ➔ Present Perfect Simple

  ➔ The sentence uses the present perfect simple tense. The structure is "has/have + past participle". "She's been" is a contraction of "She has been", indicating an action or state that started in the past and continues to the present or has relevance to the present.

• Our love just won't end

  ➔ Future Simple (Negative contraction)

  ➔ "Won't" is a contraction of "will not," which is the negative form of the future simple tense. It expresses a prediction or intention that something will not happen in the future.

• I was knee high to a chicken

  ➔ Past Simple with simile

  ➔ This is a simile using the past simple to describe a state in the past. "Knee high to a chicken" is a simile illustrating how small the speaker was.

• Even if the mountain tumbles, if this whole world crumbles

  ➔ Conditional Sentences (Type 2 - Hypothetical)

  ➔ This uses a Type 2 conditional sentence to describe a hypothetical situation. The structure is "If + past simple, would/could/might + base form". It expresses an unlikely or unreal situation and its possible result.

• By her side I'll still be standing there

  ➔ Future Simple (with contraction)

  ➔ "I'll" is a contraction of "I will," which is used to express future intention. The sentence indicates the speaker's determination to continue supporting her regardless of hypothetical catastrophic events.